1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a control apparatus for a motor-assisted bicycle which increases the frequency of charging of a battery.
2. Description of Background Art
Japanese Patent No. 3642364 discloses that a bicycle with assistive power energizes a motor to generate an assistive force depending on a pedaling torque applied to a crankshaft. The motor is controlled to switch to a regenerative state to charge the battery, if a detected peak of the pedaling torque is smaller than a pedaling torque determined depending on the vehicle speed of the bicycle.
According to the technology disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 3642364, a regenerative charging process is performed, if the detected peak of the pedaling torque is smaller than the pedaling torque determined depending on the vehicle speed of the bicycle. When the pedaling force becomes larger, since the pedaling force changes from a level 0 to a higher peak, while the crankshaft makes one revolution, no regenerative charging process is performed and hence the battery is not efficient during a period in which a low pedaling torque is applied. Consequently, the battery may not sufficiently be charged.